Administration says tenured faculty layoffs improbable Tenured faculty layoffs have infuriated members of the University of Louisiana System, but University administrators say that’s an unlikely scenario for the LSU System.
The UL System moved tenure from the system level to individual programs last spring and decided universities could terminate programs considered “non-sustainable,” leading to two tenured UL Lafayette professors receiving termination notices. The LSU System, however, bears a stronger academic contract, making the task of eliminating tenured faculty more difficult.
“The probability is very low,” said Chancellor Michael Martin. “We have worked very hard to avoid that faculty.”
Cope said the initial damage would not strike tenured faculty, but instead fall on faculty and staff without tenure, pointing to last year when instructors received notices about non-contract renewal.
If such a scenario were to play out, Cope said the University would see undergraduate students affected because instructors generally teach on that level.
Martin and Cope agreed a declaration of financial exigency would hurt the University’s reputation and deteriorate its ability to compete for the best faculty possible. Thus, Martin said it is essential that the University continues to reward its faculty for taking on “larger responsibilities than they’ve priority.”
“People are picking up heavier loads, and they deserve to be recognized,” Martin said.
The University recently had a brush with concerns over of tenured faculty when The American Association of University Professors found the University in violation of academic freedom in its July report for pulling a tenured professor from teaching an introductory course after her class’ midterm grades were straddling D and F territory.
Robert McKinney, executive officer of the UL Lafayette Faculty Senate, said the layoffs at ULL should be thought of as program discontinuations due to lack of student demand.
McKinney said when ULL reviewed its programs, several were re-organized without faculty loss. The two areas pinned for closure were the cognitive science doctoral program and the undergraduate fashion design and merchandising program. He said he knows of two professors from each program who were notified.
McKinney said he knows some professors were offered the possibility to switch to a different ULL program. He said fashion merchandising will now fall under marketing, so fashion merchandising professors can apply to the University’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.
“[ULL] really is trying to work on retaining the faculty,” he said.
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]